Holland Park whistleblowers who were vindicated by a shocking report detailing public humiliation, racism and Ofsted being misled at the ‘outstanding’ school have demanded to know why misconduct spanning 18 years was ignored.
An independent investigation found “overt” sexism, Islamophobia, students sent home during inspections and safeguarding failures at the west London school.
Sex abuse victims were left unsupported, with “inappropriate” handling of a teacher’s relationship with a pupil, the report published on Wednesday stated.
The probe was launched by new trustees last year, parachuted in after allegations of a “toxic” environment at the standalone academy, once dubbed a “socialist Eton”.
More than 100 individuals – including staff and students – submitted evidence, as first reported in The Guardian last year.
But whistleblowers are now asking why it took so long for the problems, which one called an “open secret”, to be exposed.
Despite the damning findings, Ofsted stood by an ‘outstanding’ rating issue in February 2020. “We are confident the inspection team came to accurate judgments because they examined a wide range of evidence,” a watchdog spokesperson added.
The inspection was unannounced, and Ofsted “took into account correspondence from teachers who had left the school”.
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